Social media and marketing: 5 golden rules

When you’re developing a B2B social media marketing plan, there are a few golden rules to remember. These rules of social media marketing aren’t carved in stone, but they provide some good suggestions for how to do social media marketing. There are also some differences when it comes to social media rules for business vs. B2C. (And if you want to learn more, you can download a checklist on Content Marketing Best Practices, for 5 easy-to-implement B2B content marketing tips, at the end of this page.)

Always stick to your strategy

Don’t just post content because you have it – ie. sales just created a sell sheet, or human resources sent you a link to a video from the off-site employee meeting. Instead, make sure all the content that you post supports your strategy and will help you reach your marketing goals. While it’s nice to have a lot of online content, it won’t help you if it’s a mashup of questionable quality. You’ll end up confusing your target audiences, or worse, turning them off your product or company.

Focus on the platforms that are relevant for you

Don’t assume that you have to be on all of the top platforms. Do your research into LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, SnapChat, etc. Then see which platforms your competitors are on, and find out where your prospects are likely to be found. Then choose two or three platforms that make sense for your organization and product. Do you offer a “lifestyle” product or service? Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook may be a good mix for you. Manufacturing? Try LinkedIn and Twitter.

Put someone in charge

Remember back at the dawn of the internet, when companies put a contact email option on website, and then never replied to any incoming emails? If you’re active on social media today, it’s imperative to monitor and reply to all comments and queries. Especially since one of the end goals is to build interactive relationships with your prospects. If you can’t hire a dedicated online community manager, make sure you provide training to the individual who will look after your social media interactions, to ensure you’re able to hold up your end of the conversation.

Strike the right balance between sharing too much and too little

We all know an organization – or a person – who shares way too much on social media. But’s there’s also a danger in not sharing enough. You need to post enough to make yourself known and get your message across, but avoid over-exposure. How often you post depends on the platform, and on what you’re promoting. For a blog post, for example, the “unwritten rules” say you can post more frequently on Twitter than you can on Facebook or Google+. Monitor the frequency of other organizations’ posts, and keep a close eye on the responses to your posts to get a sense of what is seen as appropriate.

Provide online content that’s helpful – don’t sell

Your audiences want information that will help them – to solve a problem, to learn about a potential solution, to find out what their peers are doing, to discover what is new and exciting in their industry. Organize your content to match their informational needs – rather than organizing by your products or your company divisions.

For social media help and if you want to learn more, download a checklist on Content Marketing Best Practices, for 5 easy-to-implement B2B content marketing tips,

If your organization sells enterprise level solutions, you’re likely familiar with the concept of ABM, or account-based marketing. ABM represents the most targeted approach possible: marketing directly to a single company or organization. Under an ABM strategy, you identify the key companies that you wish to do business with, and develop a marketing approach that’s customized for each one of them.

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